Elements of Eternity
by ellumina
Summary: The past may linger for a while, even if it is painful. But, at least, the most beautiful things last for eternity. Cloti. One shot.


Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy VII

**Elements of Eternity**

He wondered about the stars, about how they could stay suspended in the sky, twinkling merrily without a care in the world. He wondered about the scattered gems that lit the night sky, glowing and dancing to a silent song. He wondered how they survived the worst and shone forever.

Forever seemed like such a long time….

Cloud watched as the sun moved in a gracious arc, gradually fading away into the distant horizon, painting the sky with streaks of pale gold and orange in a natural display of fireworks celebrating the first anniversary of the victory of Cloud Strife and his small group of dedicated comrades over Jenova's sons and the Geostigma.

The hero stood at his window watching nature paint flames in a sky that was congratulating him. In the distant East, the first stars were already twinkling brightly as darkness spread across, dancing in their own silver light to prolong the celebration of the day and share the joy of the victory once again with the man who caused it all exactly one year ago.

Even the gentle wind that breezed past him seemed to whisper its congratulations, and Cloud closed his eyes silently thanking the wandering angels who were the reason behind this splendid display.

He missed them. But hurt was something he'd learned not to associate with their memory anymore.

Outside, in a similar show of gratitude, he watched her sitting on the front steps, elbows resting against her knees and hands pressed to her cheeks while she too smiled at the darkening sky, holding a silent conversation with the stars that were quickly littering the spreading ebony blanket.

Cloud fought the urge to stay at the window and watch her gaze dreamily up at the sky. Up close, she was much more beautiful.

His footsteps were silent as he headed down the steps and out the front door, quietly walking towards the musing barmaid and claiming a seat behind her, on the moist, wooden steps, arms gently circling the front of her shoulders to pull her against him.

Her smile brightened and she shifted under the influence of his hands, leaning back into him and letting her head settle comfortably against his chest. Her body relaxed trustingly against his and she breathed in deep, eyes fluttering shut for a few seconds, relishing in the relaxation of the moment. Cloud laced his fingers underneath her chin, tilting her head back to lock his gaze to hers.

"Hi," he greeted softly.

She felt his blond spikes brush her cheeks as he smiled into her eyes and she blinked slightly, resisting the urge to brush his hair away.

"Hi, Cloud," Tifa grinned back before turning her gaze once more to the distant horizon where the sun was just disappearing. She closed a hand absently around his, enjoying the contact and brushed her fingers lightly across his knuckles, lowering them a little so she could adjust her head against him.

Cloud let her move her eyes from him, guiding his gaze towards the sky to freely roam the darkening expanse as he too settled comfortably on the stairs, dropping his hands to fold his arms around her. When he rested them lightly against her collarbones, Tifa slipped her hands in his again.

He rested his head against hers, struggling to ignore the soft strands of dark, silky hair brushing against the base of his throat and not quite succeeding. He raked his fingers lightly through it watching as it slipped like water through his fingers. It was longer now, he noted to himself, smiling ruefully at the realization. Almost as long as it had been during the time of meteor, cascading like a dark waterfall down her back, the thick mass of it pooling against his thighs, and spilling over, tips just barely brushing the wood of the stairs.

It reminded him of the midnight sky they were both waiting for, dark and mysterious and alluring, like a river of silk in which he would gladly drown. He nuzzled his face into it briefly, relishing in the numbing softness and breathed in the relaxing scent. She'd just washed it, he decided, taking notice of the lingering moisture at the top of her head and the fresh scent of her shampoo.

Cloud smiled again, shifting her in his arms and setting his chin comfortably at the top of her head, wondering if there was any other man on the planet as happy as he was at the moment.

He thought that this, this being with her was a part of what eternity should be. He knew now, that wherever it was, only happiness existed.

There was a prolonged moment of silence between them, serene and comfortable and it extended well into the night, until the sky was almost dark. It wasn't something either of them dreaded anymore. It was simply something beautiful they shared, each lost in their own little world without really being on their own.

But as much as Cloud loved their shared silence, he longed to hear her voice…

"You're not watching them alone, tonight," he stated calmly, no trace of hesitation in his voice and no hint of doubt in his swirling blue eyes. That was exactly the way Tifa made him feel, a complete man, strong and confident and _deserving_ of being where he was. He'd figured out that being happy wasn't going to happen to him until he could confront his feelings and move on. Tifa had shared that journey with him, just like she'd once shared his pain, living with it for the entire duration of its existence. He'd learned a lot from her, the lovely angel who'd come to save him by letting him save her.

He could feel her lips break into a smile as she shrugged against him before shaking her head in protest.

"Just for a while," she explained, brushing her fingers reassuringly against his arms. "Today's special. I thought you might want some time to yourself."

He smiled secretly at having his wish granted and he gladly listened to her speak, memorizing her voice like he'd done time and again, and making a mental note to remember it for eternity.

He shook his head still at her words, his jaw rubbing lightly against her hair. No, Cloud didn't want any moment to himself. He'd had enough of those to last him a lifetime. And being where he was now, having everything he'd ever dreamed of right here in his arms…he wasn't going to waste a second of being happy with her. He'd wasted enough of those too.

It wasn't time he'd wanted to himself. It was Tifa.

"It is special," he agreed softly and silently smiled to himself. "You don't know how much."

"Think it'll rain today?" Tifa questioned, tilting her head back a little to look into his eyes. Cloud glanced up at the sky, watching the first stars twinkling happily against the inky blanket. It was clear, a perfect summer night sky with nothing but millions of tiny gems scattered across the expanse of it and the breeze that passed them was warm and relaxing.

No, there was no sign of rain…

"Yeah…" he murmured in a soft, faraway voice as he watched the stars with dreamy eyes, softened with emotion. There wasn't any sign of rain at all, but he knew that rain would come. He wanted it to, just so he could remember what it was like to know he was alive

"Think we'll see them?"

"Zack and Aeris?" he asked with a confused frown and then shook his head knowing that the two wandering souls were not going to visit tonight. "No, not today."

They were somewhere else now though they remained in his heart and his memories, not always on the surface but lingering on. Somewhere along the way, Cloud had decided to fix his priorities eventually realizing that the future deserved much more thought than the past.

"I saw her when I was dreaming last night," Tifa said lightly interrupting through his thoughts. Her lips broke into a warm, delighted smile as she spoke of the flower girl who'd probably been one of her closest friends at some point of time. She dropped her head back once again to look into Cloud's glowing blue eyes as they hovered above her gazing intently. "She told me today was special."

"Aeris?" Cloud asked, quirking a surprised eyebrow at Tifa. "Did she?"

He resisted the urge to chuckle. He'd known Aeris would do that. Ever since_ he'd_ told _her_ that today was going to be special, the flower girl had been giddy with excitement. It was in her nature, even as a spirit, to bring happiness to those she loved and there really had not been a doubt in Cloud's mind that Aeris would somehow relay the message to Tifa to just be happy. And when the flower girl took note of Tifa's evident happiness, she'd simply told her to be happier.

There weren't many secrets between Cloud and Aeris. Or Zack for that matter. Especially where Tifa was concerned.

"It's not like I forgot," Tifa sighed turning her eyes back to the sky and hugging his arms closer to her. She lapsed into a moment of peaceful silence and then spoke again in a quiet, serene voice to match the moment she'd lost herself in. "I won't ever forget that day. I got to see her, right?" She looked back up at Cloud and let her dark eyes gaze into his, her burgundy hues shimmering in the moonlight. "And I got to see the people I love smile."

Cloud knew whom exactly she was speaking of. Though the mother in her had been thoroughly touched by Denzel's smile, the effect of his own smile on her on that day a year ago, was hardly unnoticeable. It brought life to her eyes and hope and beauty. It brought her things she'd thought she'd lost forever and feelings she'd buried deep inside her. And for Cloud, it brought him her.

He smiled slightly, returning her gaze and freed a hand to brush at her bangs, letting his fingertips linger against her forehead. He watched the moonlight shimmer against her face and wondered how he'd ever been able to leave her behind. Cloud just knew he wouldn't ever let go of her again. Or the little children sleeping upstairs. He simply couldn't. He saw his life reflected in her eyes and, after everything that has happened, life drew him effortlessly towards its embrace. And he wanted to stay there forever.

"Watch the stars with me," he murmured, nudging her head down and nestling his chin against her hair again.

Tifa nodded against him and resumed her gaze of the sky, captivated by the beautiful image spread above her all the way to the horizons. Strangely, the scenery didn't remind her of Nibelheim as much as it reminded her of the past year despite the striking similarity to the image of her hometown. Lately, everything reminded her of the past year. It was probably the happiest part of her life since the death of her mother and all the happy moments she spent only triggered memories of other happy moments.

Behind her, Cloud seemed to read her thoughts because she felt him hug her tighter, hands squeezing her arms gently.

He let out a slow breath and tilted his head his head to the side guiding his eyes to the distance to catch the last streaks of orange as the daylight bid the Planet goodbye.

"They just…shine," he mused, his breath warm against her temple. "It must be wonderful to spend forever doing that."

He felt her smile and he smiled in turn understanding how peaceful she was feeling at the moment. She had always loved to watch the star-sprinkled sky. Ever since she was a little girl, she watched them, finding strength in their existence and drawing relentlessly from it. She too shone like they did, never stopping, but after that unforgettable day last year, her radiance had been something from another world, a shimmering light that turned her into a breathtaking image drenched in promises of hope and love and beauty.

Promises that were going to survive till the end of time.

Ever since he'd come back to her, Cloud would watch the sky with her at the window or at the front stairs, because he too was beginning to understand what it was like to just let it all go and invest his faith in the future. His future was no longer the unreachable light at the end of an endless tunnel.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, he'd lost the guilt and never looked for it again.

Tifa gave a half-hearted shrug, her shoulders moving underneath his hold and then rested back against him, absently setting her hands on his, where they pressed lightly into her upper arms, holding them there. Her gaze however was still drawn to the sky, showing her memories of the past year and all the happiness that came with it. It was almost funny to remember that, for the longest time, she'd thought that happiness was impossible…

"Do you think," she paused unsure of how to word her thoughts. "Do you think people could be happy forever?"

She dipped her head back to find his eyes again, slightly worried.

Cloud glanced at her briefly, noting the worry in her eyes and smiled resting his lips at her temple for a moment before he turned his cheek into her hair. He let out a deep sigh and let his eyes drift shut, stretching his legs out on either side of her and drawing her close when she nestled further against him.

"I don't know…"

Tifa stopped stroking his hands and just sat still for a moment, thinking back to the events that had unfolded a year ago that had nearly broken them apart. She never wanted to experience that anymore, the fear of knowing that he might just give up and walk away. The thought of it made her shudder and she felt him pull her closer against him and whisper soothingly into her hair, instantly understanding what she was thinking.

She tried to ignore the faint stir of that fear and focused on _them_ being together here, leaning slightly forward as unwanted images of the past managed to break into the serenity of the sky.

"At least, we can't be sad forever," she tried to lighten the mood she'd unconsciously stirred. "We don't think about the past all that much now. Not the painful part."

He shook his head and stayed quiet, just listening to her breathing. Tifa was right. The painful aspects of the past were so easily overshadowed by the glimmering hope of the future. Though it was never completely gone, at least it wasn't _there, _lingering in their minds but buried between layers and layers of fond memories and positive thoughts.

It would take some effort now, to have things like the death and the tragedy and all the blood and the fighting revive the hopeless feelings they had once experienced.

Cloud balanced an arm loosely on her shoulder and cupped her chin, pulling her face up so he could look into her eyes.

"But the good things stay," he said to her, gazing at her meaningfully. "They'll make the future brighter."

He noticed her smile faltering vaguely and his brows drew together in a worried frown when she shook his hand away, leaning back against him once again. He felt the shiver course quickly through her body, almost unnoticeably before she regained her composure and spoke in a calm, strangely quiet voice.

"I know. As long as the past doesn't interfere…"

"It's beautiful," Cloud cut in, not wanting her to continue that line of thought. She didn't have to worry anymore. It wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to let their painful past get in the way again. "The past could be beautiful... We were there together, weren't we?"

There wasn't much of a reaction from her. She just heard his words and continued gazing dreamily at the landscape stretched before them then shifted her gaze to the sky. The stars were in millions now, scattered throughout the expanse of the inky sky and dotting it with silver lights that twinkled on and on.

Tifa's eyes softened when she replayed his words in her mind. After the Geostigma was cured, Cloud had learned to confide in her without having being pressured to do it and not worry anymore about the consequences. It had taken her months to break through the walls he'd put around himself, months where she'd put every last fiber of her strength into battling the demons that Cloud himself had been terrified of. She'd endured the pain and the loneliness, the fear of having him vanish from her life and the sorrow of watching him suffer in guilt, and she'd battled on relentlessly, determined to bring that smile back to his face.

And when it did appear, all the pain and fear had simply melted away and Cloud, in turn, had spent the following months securing his place in her heart and stubbornly making sure he was there to stay. Apparently, staying by her side wasn't going to hurt much either.

Tifa just knew as she sat there with him, in his arms, that he wouldn't let go again. That he was here to stay forever.

She felt his lips moving to her neck and idly wondered if he was even aware of what exactly he was doing.

"You'll stay."

The words were spoken resolutely, confidently, without a single trace of doubt and with a firm tone of finality. Tifa was slightly surprised that it was Cloud who'd uttered them when those two words were the exact same thing she had been thinking seconds before.

"I will?" she teased.

"The good things stay," he said with a smile, his voice low and soft-spoken against her ear, carrying the awareness that she was challenging the security of her future and understanding the traces of fear she tried to hide. He didn't blame her. She'd gone through too much pain in the past. And he hadn't even realized before, that he'd been a part of it.

But Cloud knew Tifa still trusted him. And he wasn't going to let her down. Not anymore. Not when she'd stayed by his side for so long, burying her misery inside so she could make room to share his. She'd given him a gift when she did that, the gift of being able to do the same for her and Cloud already knew that all he needed was to be with her.

For both of them.

"Tifa," he said softly, worry evident in his voice. "It'll be okay."

Tifa breathed in deeply, pondering over his words. She wanted to believe them so much…she trusted Cloud more than anyone else in the word. She trusted him enough to not be afraid of saying all that she wanted to say. He wouldn't let anything hurt her anymore. And she wouldn't let anything hurt them.

But the past…it lingered sometimes. And she was too ashamed to just forget everything, to deny, even for a moment, that bad things had happened.

"They're not here," Cloud whispered tenderly, rubbing her arms and Tifa couldn't help but to smile as she realized that Cloud understood what exactly she was thinking.

Her hero was right. Sephiroth and his mother weren't going to disrupt their peace again and Tifa wanted more than anything to keep it that way, to build the rest of her life on stable foundations and live with the knowledge that the worst, that all the bad was over.

"You're right," she said with a small nod. "We don't have to worry about Sephiroth and Jenova or the things they…"

"Shhh…Sephiroth and Jenova are gone," Cloud whispered quietly, bringing her head back and brushing his lips to her temple. Around her, his arms tightened, fusing her body to his so she wouldn't ever have to feel insecure again. "It's just us now."

He didn't want her to feel any more pain. He didn't want her to suffer from guilt. He wanted her to understand that it was okay to not remember all the hurt and the fear. It was okay to pretend that she had always been fine.

Cloud knew he was, because all along, he had her by his side.

Slightly surprised by his words, Tifa leaned forward, wanting to turn around to face him but he held her back, tightening his arms around her.

"The rain's started," he murmured to her, chuckling at the dreaminess in her eyes as he moved to stand, tugging her up with him. "Let's go inside."

Tifa nodded and let him pull her into the house and close the door behind them before the downpour started. She was still in a dreamy state, her eyes slightly dazed and her teeth chewing incessantly on her bottom lip, a nervous gesture that had only started after Cloud changed into the person he was now.

He sighed, almost impatiently and pressed his forehead to hers, holding her against the door. He gazed into her eyes and wondered how she'd deal with it if he said those three little words he'd never told anyone before.

"Don't look so surprised. It's just me."

She smiled then, a brilliant smile that lit up her face in a radiant glow and her eyes swung back into focus, burning earnestly into his. He wasn't sure how he'd ended up feeling so stunned, just by the tenderness of the gaze she used to lock his eyes to her. He didn't even think it was possible for anyone to hold so much love for another.

Then again, Tifa had done the impossible before. She'd stayed with him when the rest of the world along with his own tortured mind, had left him behind.

"I'm glad it is," she barely whispered brining him out of his trance with a smile on his face.

Cloud replayed her words constantly in his mind knowing that there hadn't been a better moment in his entire life and leaned down to brush his lips briefly against her, surprising her with the act. He idly wondered if this was what it was like for the stars. Always twinkling, always shining. What he was sharing with Tifa at the moment, it was the elusive eternity he'd always dreamed of, random images of her eyes and her smile and her arms around him joining together to complete a beautiful picture. He just couldn't remember anything of his past that didn't relate to her in one way or another and he didn't believe in a future without her.

"Go answer the phone," he chuckled when he pulled back and looked into her stunned eyes, hearing the sudden ruckus the device was causing.

Tifa shook her head, smiling at him and touched her fingertips to his jaw, pushing him away so she could slip free. He turned around as she walked away and frowned slightly when he found her heading to the wide open window letting all the rain in and ignoring the persistent ringing altogether.

"It's probably Yuffie," she said. She sounded almost frustrated. Cloud eased back against the door and crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. Yuffie had been calling a lot lately and though Cloud had a vague idea why the young ninja was suddenly pestering Tifa, he wasn't really planning to let it go. The young ninja was going to hear from him…

"Something wrong?"

When Tifa pulled the window shut, she turned back to him and shook her head irately.

"She's been calling a lot and acting funny," the barmaid explained, brushing a lock of hair form her eyes. "Seems like there's some really formal event going on and she won't stop asking me if she could wear her shorts instead of a gown."

Cloud smiled, shaking his head and uncrossing his arms.

"That's just Yuffie being Yuffie," he said as he headed towards her, turning her around when he approached. He hugged his arms around her midriff and urged her to lean back against him once more so they could continue watching the stars. Tifa didn't seem to mind and leaned back easily embracing his arms around her.

"Don't let it get to you," Cloud said lightly, his voice fading as his eyes trailed to the starlit sky. The stars seemed to be multiplying by the minute. He was sure there hadn't been that many before they'd come in.

"Watch them with me," he murmured into her hair secretly wishing time would stop so they could stay like this foever. "Just like before."

"There wasn't any rain in Nibelheim," Tifa muttered squinting through the downpour in search of the stars. Cloud smiled. He wasn't really focusing all that much on the rain outside or the twinkling stars peeking out from behind the clouds. He was content to just stand there with her, let her enjoy small things like the stars and the rain while he enjoyed her company.

It was so much easier to be around her now, he thought to himself running his hands along her arms to link his fingers with hers. And so much harder to be away.

Cloud absently stroked her hands in his, his thumbs gliding across her knuckles warming them. He stared out the window, at the shimmering stars of the sky through the sheets of rain, cheek pressed gingerly to hers and wondered how wonderful it must be to remain untainted by the world and just twinkle on for eternity.

Tifa had told him once. Even Meteor wasn't enough to stop the stars from shining.

He wanted that, wanted the knowledge that eternity was within his grasp, within his control, to keep bright and unstained. He wanted to know, that no matter what happened in his life, he was going to appreciate it and stay happy forever.

His fingers rubbed against metal and he shook himself out of his reverie and stroked the ring he'd given her over a year ago. Even in his trance-like state, eyes gazing absentmindedly at the sky, he smiled. She was still wearing it, a part of him he'd managed to keep with her when the world tried to rip him from her arms.

His smile deepened a little, the restrained joy reflecting in his eyes, when he realized he had just found another piece of eternity.

Now, he just needed to band all those pieces together…

"We should set a date," he murmured, somewhat inaudibly, still gazing at the sky through the window.

He could feel her shift in his arms, lean back further and relax. Her head fell lightly against his shoulder, hair barely brushing his face as she pressed his arms slightly against her midriff.

"What for?" she questioned though her concentration was elsewhere, locked to the stars and the familiarity of the situation altogether.

"The wedding," Cloud replied innocently, turning his face to nuzzle into her hair. It reminded him of Nibelheim's sky. Dark and mysterious and captivating.

Tifa perked up, tilting her head slightly to hold him back, a confused frown touching her face.

"Whose?"

Cloud's smile deepened, along with the glint in his eyes.

"Ours," he stated simply, still burrowing into her hair. She seemed puzzled, not quite comprehending his words. He could see the vague reflection of her face when he glanced at the window and was overwhelmed by the urge to chuckle at the baffled, wary look on her face, But he settled for a smile instead and just gazed at the reflection of her eyes in the window, watching yet another piece of eternity fall into his hands.

"Ours?" she repeated, somewhat mockingly, as though he was talking nonsense. And then she turned in his arms and leaned back against the window, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. "I don't remember you asking me to marry me."

She actually believed he was joking, Cloud thought to himself, this time not quite able to hold back his chuckle. It died down seconds later though and his eyes softened as everything he'd wanted to tell her suddenly seemed pointless when he had her right here in his arms.

He lifted her hand up between them, and gazed for a few prolonged moments at her fingers, eyes taken by the ring she was wearing bearing the symbol he carried on his shoulder. Tifa was still as confused as ever, looking at him as though she was debating if it was a good idea to ask him if he was okay. She looked like she was beginning to doubt his sanity.

Sometimes, that clueless, agitated attitude was the most beautiful thing about her.

He sighed softly, gently curling her hand into a fist and brining it against his face to brush her knuckles lightly with his lips.

"I didn't need to," he told her when he dropped her hand and folded his arms around her waist, leaning in to capture her lips with his. Still puzzled, Tifa dazedly welcomed him, threading her fingers together at the nape of his neck and resting her forearms against his chest.

When he pulled away, moments later and looked meaningfully into her eyes, she thought she saw a spark of something in them. Something that told her just how he was going to change her world right about now. And something that told her she needed to stop being naïve and actually believe in him,

He smiled at her, took her hand in his again, resting her fingers lightly in his palm and lowered his eyes to gaze at the ring on her finger.

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

Tifa, still confused and slightly suspicious, lifted her hand in front of her face and tried to find out what it was he was gazing so vehemently at.

Cloud chuckled and pulled away from her heading to the kitchen to find himself something cool to drink, wanting to give her a moment to figure it out by herself more than to quench his thirst. If he knew Tifa, and he definitely knew her better than even himself, she would come barging in on him in a few second or so, her eyes wide, her breathing ragged, incoherent words gushing out of her lips…

The quick thudding of her feet came to an abrupt stop when she reached the kitchen, grasping onto the doorframe for support and looking at him through wide, incredulous eyes, struggling to form real words on her lips.

"You're serious?" she panted, pressing her free hand to her knee and trying not to keel over with exhaustion. Or shock.

Cloud titled his head back holding a soda can to his lips, drinking deeply, and eyes casually focused on her. She seemed restless as she watched him down the drink in one gulp, torn between frowning at being deliberately ignored and just really being shocked.

When he finished and put the glass down, he rubbed a hand lightly over his chin and turned around, plowing through cupboards and drawers and frowning intently, somewhat frustrated as he couldn't find whatever it was he was looking for. He'd hid it quickly before she could see...

" 'Course I am," he said offhandedly with a casual wave of his hand, and smiled in triumph when he found the object he was seeking. "I wouldn't joke about something like that."

He turned around, smiling at her again and holding a single flower, a dazzling white lily, carefully selected and picked from the re-planted portion of Aeris's beautiful garden.

"I couldn't reach the stars," he told her nonchalantly. "So I got you the next best thing."

Tifa was hardly hearing him. She was walking towards him, her brows drawn together, eyes wary, her stride slow and calculated as though she was about to confront her greatest enemy. Her arms were dangling stiffly by her sides, fists were clenching and unclenching nervously and she chewed on her lip still looking so lost and confused and skeptical long after she'd stopped in front of him to meet his gaze.

She didn't even seem to notice that he was holding the flower out for her.

Cloud resisted the urge to shake her and reached for her hand placing the blooming flower in it, carefully closing her fingers around the stem and holding them for a while to make sure she didn't drop them.

He groaned hopelessly when the flower fell to the floor at her feet, the minute he let her hand go, the incessant clenching and unclenching of her fist still progressing at a nervous pace. Even now, she didn't seem to realize that he had just given her a gift and her gaze remained stunned, eyes wide and weary and lost in a confused spell.

Cloud sighed and lifted his hand to brush back her bangs, holding them there and freeing her eyes for his gaze. She blinked out of her reverie almost instantly and he smiled as she gasped, his words finally registering in her mind.

"But didn't you…"

"Zack and Aeris will be there," he cut in cleanly holding her hair back so he could keep those stunned ruby eyes on his. "And everyone, well…we still didn't set a date but they promised to come anyway so you don't have to worry about invitations."

"You…you…what are…"

"And before I forget," he cut in again, seemingly oblivious to her stuttered incoherencies. "Yuffie said if you so much as think of putting her in a dress, she'll turn our children into 'little Yuffie clones' and have them torture us in our sleep…and steal our materia," he added after a brief pause.

"Yuffie what?...children!…What dress? Cloud…"

"And Marlene insists on being the flower girl this time around," he interrupted once again, his eyes mischievous as he pretended not to hear her. "So remind me to tell Aeris to stay clear from that territory. And remind me not to tell her anything anymore. She nearly spilled the secret with all her talks of 'today' and 'happy' and 'special'…"

"But Aeris is…she knew! When did you…Cloud!"

"At least though, her little hints didn't totally blow it. By the way, I asked the Turks to attend," he continued as though she never spoke, watching with an amused sparkle in his eyes as the stunned shock gradually faded into flustered disbelief. "But I had a hard time knowing if that _noise_ Rude made after he'd stopped gaping was a yes or a no. Reno just choked on his drink but I'm assuming that if Rude's coming, then Reno probably will. I still have to talk to Rufus though…"

Her eyes flashed, swinging into focus and she glared at him, finally noticing that he was toying with her.

"Cloud! Will you just listen to me!"

But he cut her off again, this time leaning in, arms slipping possessively around her waist and lips pressing a feathery kiss to hers.

"I love you, Tifa," he said against her lips, in the same infuriatingly relaxed tone before pulling back and this time, Tifa wisely opted to do the smart thing and chose to shut up, shuddering slightly as the impact of his words finally registered through her confused mind.

Cloud stepped away, grabbing the empty soda can from the counter to throw it, pausing for a moment to pick the flower that Tifa had unconsciously dropped. He kept her in the corner of his vision noting how she suddenly seemed interested in the floor, hiding her face behind her hair.

"Do you…" she started shakily, her voice suspiciously quiet. Cloud turned to look at her, resisting the urge to laugh at the anxiety she was displaying. "Do you want me to say no?"

"What!"

He was about to lunge at her, to latch at her shoulders and shake her hard when he noticed the tiny puddles forming at her feet. Alarm gripped him and he wondered with a growing sense of dread if he'd done the wrong thing.

"Tifa…"

She looked up at him then, still visibly shaking, eyes bleary with tears and lips curled into a delighted grin.

"Well you just asked me to marry you and you're…just standing there!"

Cloud's alarm faded and his face broke into a thrilled smile. He walked over to her, quirking an amused eyebrow as he practically yanked her to him, banding his arms possessively around her waist.

"Really?" he murmured as he dipped down to seize her tear-soaked lips, kissing her deeply until she broke away gasping for air. He pulled back and smiled at her "But I don't remember asking you to marry me."

"You didn't need to," Tifa laughed sliding her arms around his neck and tilting her head back to look into his glowing blue eyes where her future shone like the stars that never stopped shining.

"You're not going to take no for an answer."

No he wasn't. He'd been offered eternity, more or less, on a golden plate and he wasn't about to refuse it. Not anymore. Not when eternity was suddenly the most beautiful thing he'd ever known.

For a moment he wondered why he'd been searching for it in the first place when it had been there all along.

It was in the curve of her lips when she smiled at him and in the twinkle of her eyes when they met his. It was, in the sway of her hair when she stood in the wind and the radiance of her face when the moonlight fell upon her.

Eternity was when her hands linked with his and when his gaze locked with hers and when their lips met to seal all the beautiful, unspoken promises they never bothered to make. Eternity was when the past held her loving smiles and the future held her musical laughter.

Cloud really understood now. Eternity was there all along, standing by his side, nestling into his heart, quietly being pretty and beautiful and _his._ He understood that everyone _had_ forever in their hands, everyone had their own eternity to find and discover.

And to Cloud Strife, eternity was Tifa Lockhart.

**A /N**: I wanted to try out writing different sides of Cloud and Tifa in the same piece without breaking the natural flow of the story. But I'm not sure if it ended up okay. It turned out a bit longer than I intended but hope you like it anyway. Please review.


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